Car Seat Basics: Installing a Britax ClickTight Convertible Car Seat

When the Britax ClickTight Convertible car seats — Marathon ClickTight, Boulevard ClickTight, and Advocate ClickTight — were introduced, they were completely different from most car seats on the market. While they may look like other traditional car seats, the installation method is what sets these seats apart.

Britax ClickTight Installation System

Designed to be installed with the seat belt more so than the lower anchors, the ClickTight Installation System involves a large panel that essentially locks the seat belt into place. In most cases, in most seating locations, this makes for a very simple installation.

Take a closer look at how to install this seat using a seat belt in our review.

Installing the Britax ClickTight Advocate using the seat belt

Open the ClickTight panel and thread the seat belt through the correct belt path. Both the forward facing and rear facing belt paths are clearly labelled and visible when the panel is open. Once the seat belt is threaded through the right belt path, close the ClickTight panel and, in most cases, the seat is installed correctly. It’s that easy.

Uninstalling the seat is just as simple. First, unbuckle the seat belt, open the panel, and remove the seat belt. Push the panel back down to close it.

Installing a ClickTight Convertible with Lower Anchors

Britax Advocate ClickTight installed with lower anchors

We’ve worked with a number of caregivers in our Facebook group who were installing their ClickTight convertible seats with the lower anchors and struggling in the process.

We suspect that this is because a lot of caregivers who purchase a ClickTight convertible seat are moving their Littles from a rear facing only infant seat. Since rear facing only seats can be used with lower anchors to the full harness weight of the seat, many parents install them with lower anchors.

When moving their child to a convertible car seat, it makes sense that caregivers would attempt to install their new seat using the same method. While lower anchors can be a convenient way to install a car seat, when it comes to seats with the ClickTight Installation System, the lower anchors aren’t usually the easiest way to install these particular seats.

Britax Click Tight convertible lower anchor connectors

The ClickTight convertible seats are equipped with traditional hook-on style lower anchors connectors, which are stored in a compartment in the lower bottom portion of the seat.

Because the seat belt installation is so simple, Britax has chosen not to use the premium push button connectors you may be used to with other Britax seats.

Installing ClickTight Convertible seats in the Middle Seat

Installing a ClickTight convertible in most middle seats is often quite simple when using the seat belt. Since that seating position can be problematic in some vehicles, this is another situation where the ClickTight system is an easy-to-install option.

We asked Britax for further information about the choice to use the less featured style of anchor connector in these seats. In addition to the information on their website, they also said this:

“The NPD team at Britax USA is committed to helping parents ensure that their children travel safely. We understand the challenges parents face with car travel. We live it every day. Many of our engineers are also parents and expert users of child restraints. This first-hand knowledge has led to a deep understanding of parental tasks and breakthrough solutions to everyday chores.

Installing car seats is difficult for three reasons:

· First, with most car seats, there are a lot of rules, steps, procedures, tricks, and, of course, exceptions. User manuals are large and full of small print. The mountain of information required to do the job properly every time in every car can be really intimidating.

· Second, properly routing the appropriate attachment device (vehicle belt or LATCH strap) can be difficult—under cover, through holes, under harness, through lock-offs, etc. This can be confusing and hard to see clearly that it is done properly.

· Finally, once the belt is properly routed, getting the belt tight enough to retain the child seat can be physically challenging. Parents often exert much effort to tighten belt, only to find as they check their work that the child restraint still feels loose or sloppy.

With these three challenges in mind, the NPD team at Britax USA developed the ClickTight installation system. The ClickTight installation system is the latest innovation in safety and convenience for parents.

· With ClickTight, there is only one installation method necessary regardless of the size of your child, which vehicle or position they are in, or which orientation (FWF or RWF).*

· ClickTight features a large tensioning arm that opens completely to allow for easy and clear routing of the belt from the front of the seat—no cover, harness, or holes to deal with—just a clear belt path with easy access forward or rearward facing.

· Once the belt is routed properly through the simple and accessible belt path, the ClickTight tensioning arm can be easily closed over the vehicle belt. Once the tensioner clicks closed, the mechanism is locked and the belt is properly tensioned.”

Overall Thoughts

In most cases, installing a Britax ClickTight convertible car seat with a seat belt is the preferred method. It’s also the easier method of the two. So if you’re starting to install one of these seats for your Little, we’d strongly suggest using the seat belt!

*Forward Facing and Rear Facing

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All CSFTL website contributors are Nationally Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. However, our reviews and educational materials are OUR opinions and are not that of Safe Kids, NHTSA, or anyone other than us. We are not liable for anything anyone says or does as a result of reading our opinions on this site.

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